White chocolate eggnog fudge

Last Christmas, my White Chocolate Eggnog Truffles went down a treat so this year I thought I'd stick with the winning flavour combo but in fudge form: White Chocolate Eggnog Fudge. 


Following the raging success that was the Salted Caramel Fudge, I felt like a fudge ninja.  I was on a fudge making roll.

The recipe is a microwave recipe which makes the whole process super easy.  And at Christmas time, a recipe that doesn't require too much slaving over a hot stove is my best friend.

One little complication though was that the original recipe calls for marshmallow creme or marshmallow fluff which we can't readily get here in New Zealand.  So I made a sort of marshmallow creme substitute by melting white marshmallows with some light cornsyrup and adding that to the mix.  

Of course, this meant having to pick out all the white marshmallows from the bag and I now have a whole bag of pink marshmallows burning a hole in my pantry which I have no idea what to do with.  Being a marshmallow lover you'd think I'd just scoff them, but I'm one of those people who, against all logic, are convinced that the pink ones taste different from the white ones.  Perhaps a batch of rocky road is in order...

While the addition of the marshmallow may make the fudge smooth and help it set up, in the end I found it tasted a bit too overwhelming marshmallowy and not eggnoggy enough.  

I also tasted a bit of the brandy essence that the recipe calls for thinking it would be gloriously intensely brandy flavoured but it was actually rather bland and insipid so I'm not sure what it adds to the fudge. Next time I think I'll just use some proper brandy in there and bump it up to a tablespoon or so which may help bump down the marshmallow flavour and boost the eggnogginess.

The fudge sets up fine at room temperature. The texture is a bit softer and smooshier than the Salted Caramel Fudge so next time I think I'd let it get to a higher temp on the candy thermometer. But all in all it was a yummy sweet christmassy treat, which I packaged up into wee cellophane bags to give to the North Shore Hospice for the Baking for Hospice Christmas Round.

White Chocolate Eggnog Fudge

400 g white sugar
115 g unsalted butter, chopped in small cubes
3/4 cup eggnog (I used homemade eggnog with brandy, recipe here)
100 g white chocolate chopped finely
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg, to taste
200g white marshmallows

2 tsp light corn syrup 
1 teaspoon brandy essence (next time I'd use actual brandy instead)

ground nutmeg and cinnamon (or mixed spice) to decorate

special equipment: candy thermometer

1. Line a 23cm square baking dish with wax paper. In a large microwave safe bowl, mix sugar, butter and eggnog. Heat in the microwave on Medium-High in 2 minute bursts, stirring in between each burst for around 8-10 minutes total, until the mixture is bubbling and gets above 234oF on a candy thermometer.

2. Mix in the white chocolate and nutmeg until the chocolate has completely melted.

3. In a separate microwave safe bowl, melt the marshmallows and corn syrup in the microwave on Medium-High for 1 minute. Stir to get a fluffy sticky marshmallow creme and add to the eggnog chocolate mix along with brandy essence. Stir to mix thoroughly.

{melted marshmallows = uber sticky}

4. Pour the fudgey mixture into the prepared baking dish, shake from side to side to level mixture. Sprinkle sparingly nutmeg and cinnamon to decorate and allow to set at room temperature for at least 3 hours. If it isn't completely set, chill in the refrigerator. Cut into 2cm cubes with a sharp knife, cleaning the knife after each cut.